In 1981, Stalk wrote, Yamaha opened an enormous factory and announced that it would become the world’s largest motorcycle manufacturer. At that time Honda held the honor and had no intention of relinquishing it. Most companies in the US as well as in Japan would have challenged force with force and built a factory even larger than Yamaha’s. After a while, overcapacity would have reared its ugly head, profits would have turned down, and there would have been the massive layoffs we see in the US auto industry today.
